House Committee on Judiciary 3:00 pm

SB 926 – Holding Investor-Owned Utilities Accountable to Victims of Wildfire – Digest: Bans the recoupment of certain costs that a power company incurs from claims based on a wildfire. (Flesch Readability Score: 65.1). Prohibits the recovery from customers of certain costs and expenses that an electric company incurs if a court or jury finds that a wildfire resulted from the negligence or a higher degree of fault on the part of the electric company. Prohibits an electric company from paying or distributing dividends, income, interest or profits or paying, distributing or repurchasing stock or other ownership interest to any person or individual with an ownership or beneficial interest in the electric company if the electric company owes any debt on an outstanding judgment that is based on a finding by a court or jury that a wildfire resulted from the negligence or a higher degree of fault on the part of the electric company. Sets the rate of interest on the judgment at nine percent per annum to accrue from the date the wildfire was ignited if a plaintiff establishes that a wildfire resulted from the negligence or a higher degree of fault on the part of the electric company. Provides that an electric company is liable for all taxes that may be owed by a prevailing party on a judgment that the electric company has not satisfied by January 1, 2026, for a judgment that is based on a finding by a court or jury that a wildfire resulted from the negligence or a higher degree of fault on the part of the electric company.

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Featured Testimony: Fire Victim Supports!

HB 3024 – Digest: The Act would get rid of the cut in maximum benefits when a worker is barred from benefits due to not working for cause and has not earned four times weekly benefits. (Flesch Readability Score: 60.6).

Eliminates the reduction of an individual’s maximum benefit amount by eight times the individual’s weekly benefit amount after the individual is disqualified from the receipt of benefits for cause and has not earned at least four times the individual’s weekly benefit amount.

Takes effect on the 91st day following adjournment sine die

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Featured Testimony:   “Take This Job and Shove It” makes a great country song but terrible public policy. It incentivizes the wrong things.

Senate Committee on Rules 1:00 pm

HB 2930 – Digest: Applies the conflict of interest laws to people who live in the same house as public officials. (Flesch Readability Score: 65.1).

Applies conflict of interest provisions to members of the household of public officials

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Featured Testimony:  Increase accountability and avoid corruption in government contracts!

Important Tax Tracker

These are the top 13 Tax Bills of the Oregon 2025 Legislature that have had public hearing and may pass within the next 40 days with little notice or warning on when they will be up for a House or Senate vote. Please go to OregonWatchdog.com to get updated.

• Kicker tax refund theft (SB 1177)
• 3% property tax (SB 712)
• 8% beer-wine tax (HB 3197)
• 250% marriage fee hike (SB 97)
• 800% timber tax (HB 3489)
• Drink container tax (HB 3940)
• 4% tire tax (HB 3362)
• $122 million Google tax to fund newspapers (SB 686)
• $500 million Hospital-healthcare tax (HB 2010)
• Baseball stadium jock tax (SB 110)
• Double RV vehicle fee (HB 3902)
• OR Transportation Reinvestment Package (TRIP) …see below.

This year’s package – dubbed the Oregon Transportation Reinvestment Package, or TRIP – includes: (Taken from Oregon Democrats unveil ambitious road funding proposal. By Dirk VanderHart April 3, 2025)

• A staggered 20-cent increase to the state’s 40-cent-per-gallon gas tax. The tax would increase by 8 cents at the outset of next year, and another 4 cents in 2028, 2030, and 2032. It would be indexed to increase with inflation afterward.
• A new tax equal to 1% of the sale price of all cars sold in Oregon, new or used. McLain and Gorsek say Oregon is one of just five states without such a charge, which they call a “one-time system use fee.”
• A new “road usage charge” that electric and highly fuel-efficient vehicles would pay – either as a flat fee or based on actual miles driven in Oregon. Existing electric vehicles would be subject to that still-undefined charge beginning in July 2026. New EVs, plug-in hybrids and cars with fuel economy of 30 miles-per-gallon or better, would be added in subsequent years.
• A separate usage charge for delivery vehicles used by companies with at least 10 such vehicles. The fee is meant to impact corporate delivery services like Amazon, according to a summary.
• Tacking an additional $66 onto Oregon vehicle registration fees, which vary by automobile.
• Adding $90 to vehicle titling fees, which currently range from $90 to $190.
• Increasing the state’s weight-mile tax on heavy vehicles by 16.9%. Taken together with higher taxes and fees for light vehicles, this change would ensure large trucks are no longer paying more than their fair share of road costs. The framework also envisions a tax structure for heavy trucks that is far simpler than the current system.
• A 3% tax on tire sales that would send $25 million a year to rail operations, safe highway crossings for wildlife and improving salmon habitat. (4% per the base bill, HB 3362)
• An increase to an existing tax auto dealers pays for the “privilege” of selling cars in Oregon. The tax would be raised from 0.5% of the price of a vehicle to 0.8%.
• Adding $9.50 to an existing $15 tax on sales of new bicycles that cost at least $200. Funding from the tax goes to bike and pedestrian facilities.
• Increasing a tax dedicated to transit service that Oregon workers’ pay from their paychecks from 0.1% to 0.18%. That’s well under the 0.5% that transit agencies have pushed for recently.

In total, Democratic lawmakers say they are looking to raise an additional $1.5 billion every two years from existing taxes, and another $486 million via the new 1% tax on vehicle sales. They did not offer any notion of how much a new “road usage charge” on EVs, fuel-efficient gas vehicles and delivery trucks could yield.

-Rep. Boomer Wright: Don’t be misled, all taxes or fees will be passed onto consumers (YOU). The Government cannot tax the people into prosperity. Let the Democrats know you want to keep some money for your own family.